The influence of producers

That first Slipknot record saw Jim and Mick work with the godfather of nu metal Ross Robinson. Both guitarists are quick to pay tribute to the producer’s role in capturing Slipknot’s ferocious vibe onto tape...

Mick: “Ross had a couple of different modded Marshalls that Korn and Sepultura used on their records, but plugging in and playing them didn’t feel right. It has to feel right.

"Like I will grab Jim’s guitar and they feel so different to the way that mine feel. His amps sound so different to how mine sound and feel and it feels so foreign that I’m like, ‘I don’t know how the hell you play this!’ Guitars and tone are very personal things.

“Even when you’re dead broke you can find ways to make gear sound like you. That was what I did on the first record. In the end we decided that what we had sounded better than running through the shit that Ross had.”

Jim: “Every experience you have in life can be applied to different things. When I first went and worked with a real producer I listened to the things he was listening for when we were recording. I ended up using a Laney Pro Tube lead and one of the old ARs that had been modified by one of our techs.

"I was listening to the characteristics of that amp and what was coming through the reference monitors in the studio. I’ve kept that mentality. Every time we go into the studio and use a different engineer or producer I try to look, listen and learn their approach. That has helped with the gear I look for to use live and in the studio.”